Per Branch’s friend and hunting partner, Micah Heckford, the dog pushed the safety off and pulled the trigger, hitting Branch in the left thigh:

“At approximately 9:40 a.m., David Joe, David, Matt and I were all standing around the bed of the (Polaris) Ranger and Matt had laid his gun down flat in the bed of the Ranger and walked around on the passenger side to finish loading up,” Heckford said. “I was at the tailgate no more than four feet away from him.”

Seeing that the hunters were loading the vehicle, another hunting companion, a Labrador retriever named Tito, jumped in the bed of the Ranger. As he walked around finding a place to sit, he stepped on the safety of Branch’s shotgun and pulled the trigger.

“The gun shot,” Heckford said. “Everybody looked up. The first thing I saw was Matt and within two to three seconds he realized he was hit.”

The leg has since been amputated and Branch has had to undergo several surgeries, but is expected to survive the accident. A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for the medical expenses.

Branch played for the Tigers from 2008 to 2011 before taking a medical scholarship following a number of injuries.

A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 14 SEC football teams.

All of my shotguns have safeties right near the trigger guard. I don’t think it’s outside of the realm of possibility that a dog could step on the safety and then the trigger in a near simultaneous motion.

Every single time I’ve gone duck hunting since I was a kid (first time in a duck pit being over 20yrs ago), with a lot of different people over the years – both people I’ve known and people I haven’t, the second the decision is made to pack it in a head back, everyone immediately without need to remind automatically starts ejecting their shells to put back in their blind bags or shell boxes – like it’s instinct. I’ve never seen it otherwise. Makes me wonder what really happened here and why they’re covering it up with, what others have pointed out, a far fetched story. Sincerely feel for Branch though – best wishes to him in the future.